Hundreds feared lost at sea as typhoon missing toll soars

NEW BATAAN, Philippines: The number of people missing after a typhoon devastated parts of the southern Philippines jumped to nearly 900 after families and fishing companies reported losing contact with more than 300 fishers at sea.

The fishers from General Santos city and nearby Sarangani province left a few days before Typhoon Bopha hit the main southern island of Mindanao on Tuesday, triggering flash floods that killed more than 600, Civil Defence chief Benito Ramos said.

Mr Ramos said the fishers were headed to the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea and to the Pacific Ocean. He said there has been no contact from them for a week. ''We have declared them missing,'' he said. ''Maybe they are still alive.''

Mr Ramos said they might have sought shelter on the many small islands in the Spratlys and the Celebes Sea. They might have been unable to make contact if they had lost battery power. He said the coast guard, navy and fishing vessels had launched a search.

Victims of Typhoon Bopha jostle for position as they beg for relief food being distributed by members of a private company in New Bataan. Photo: AFP

After slamming into the southern Philippines, the typhoon moved out to sea but then veered back towards the country's north-west on Saturday, prompting worries of more devastation. As of late Sunday, however, it had begun to dissipate and weaken into a low pressure area as it moved further into the South China Sea, about 105 kilometres west of the Philippines' Ilocos Norte province.

Rescuers continued searching for bodies or signs of life under tonnes of fallen trees and boulders in the worst-hit town of New Bataan, where rocks, mud and other rubble destroyed landmarks, making it doubly difficult to search places where houses once stood.

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Hundreds of refugees, rescuers and aid workers took a break on Sunday to watch the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez fight on a big TV screen, only to be dismayed by their hero's sixth-round knockout.

A school teacher, Constancio Olivar, said people fell silent when Pacquiao, who comes from the southern Philippines where the storm hit, fell heavily to the canvas and remained motionless for some time. ''It was like a double blow for me - this disaster and this defeat,'' said Mr Olivar, whose house was destroyed in the storm. ''We were all crestfallen. Everyone fell silent, stunned. It was like we saw a tsunami.''

Residents in typhoon-hit areas on southern Mindanao island have been appealing for food, water and other relief supplies. Photo: Reuters

Nearly 400,000 people, mostly from Compostela Valley and nearby Davao Oriental province, have lost their homes and are crowded inside evacuation centres or staying with relatives.

Officials said on Sunday 316 people were killed in Compostela Valley, including 165 in New Bataan and 301 in Davao Oriental. More than 45 people died elsewhere. Nearly 900 are missing, including the fishers and 440 from New Bataan alone. Davao Oriental authorities imposed a curfew and ordered police to guard stores and shops to prevent looting.